Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Syria on (1) the protection of the Alawite community, and (2) ensuring that those responsible for attacks on the Alawite community are properly investigated and perpetrators held accountable.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We welcome the Syrian Government's reassurances to the Syrian population and international community that they will protect all civilians in Syria, and their establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes during the violence in early March. I discussed these points in my meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 17 March. We will continue to monitor the treatment of all civilians in Syria, and this issue will continue to be an important aspect of our engagement with the Syrian Government and with regional and international partners.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States of America about efforts to seek the release of the Chinese activist Dr Wang Bingzhang.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government stands firm on human rights in China. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).
We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations and will continue to call on China to uphold its commitments under international law.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of China about the release of the Chinese activist Dr Wang Bingzhang.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government stands firm on human rights in China. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).
We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations and will continue to call on China to uphold its commitments under international law.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to address the illegal extraction of minerals in Tigray; and what assessment they have made of the environmental destruction and harm to livestock caused by these activities.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are monitoring reports of the illegal extraction of minerals in Tigray. It is important that all such activity is conducted legally and with the appropriate approvals from the relevant government authorities in Ethiopia and is done in a way that protects the local environment.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of draft law on foreign agents introduced on 31 March by the government of Georgia, and what assessment they have made of the impact of the legislation on political opposition.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A vibrant opposition and civil society in Georgia, is an essential attribute of a healthy democracy. We have serious concerns over the recent repressive legislation Georgian Dream have rushed through parliament, including the Georgian Foreign Agents Registration Act legislation and Successor Parties Law. The Minister of State, Stephen Doughty MP raised concerns over the plans and civil society and democratic freedoms with Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Botchorishvili on 16 December 2024.
The proposed laws would place extreme constraints on civil society and opposition parties, while undermining a democratic and prosperous future for all Georgians.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Burmese military junta has bombed civilian areas affected by the earthquake in Burma; and what further assessment they have made of (1) the number of fatalities and casualties, and (2) how much humanitarian assistance is reaching victims.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK was concerned by reports of continuing airstrikes by the Myanmar military after the earthquake. On 2 April, the Myanmar military announced a temporary ceasefire which we welcome. We now call on the Myanmar military to fully respect the ceasefire. We estimate 4,346 people have lost their lives so far (as of 10 April), but we expect this to increase significantly. Our initial £10 million of humanitarian assistance is already reaching those directly affected by the earthquake as we channel funding to long standing local partners (local civil society organisations, faith groups and education providers).
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that the government of the United States of America has (1) withdrawn from the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, and (2) reduced funding to the Humanitarian Research Lab investigating the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, how they are supporting efforts to ensure justice and accountability for Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to ensuring that those responsible for atrocities committed during the conflict in Ukraine are held to account for their actions. Since the full-scale invasion we have provided over £11 million in funding to support Ukraine's domestic accountability efforts. We are supporting the work of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the International Criminal Court to ensure allegations of war crimes are fully and fairly investigated, by independent, effective and robust legal mechanisms. We are also supporting work towards establishing a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and have played an active role in discussions with Ukraine and close partners to progress this commitment.
The UK raises the mass deportation of Ukrainian children continually with our allies and in multilateral fora, and we are playing our full part in international efforts to reunite these children with their families. On 19 November 2024, the UK released its third sanctions package targeting those involved in Putin's attempt to deport and indoctrinate Ukrainian children. Minister Doughty met with Ukrainian organisations 'Save Ukraine' and 'Bring Kids Back UA' in London on 27 March 2025. We continue to support the vital work to identify, locate, return and reintegrate Ukrainian children through the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 1 April (HL5876), what action they are taking in addition to issuing joint statements to prevent renewed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are concerned at heightened tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea and are engaging both sides at senior levels to encourage channels of communication and dialogue. This includes recent engagements by the Deputy Prime Minister during her recent visit to Ethiopia, and by myself as part of discussions on regional security with Ethiopian Ministers in recent weeks. Additionally, this week the UK's Special Envoy for the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa is visiting Asmara to meet with Eritrean Ministers and reinforce the need for calm and de-escalation.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the African Union in its role as a guarantor of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK continues to support the African Union-led Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in Ethiopia. The UK has provided over £155,000 to the second phase of the African Union Monitoring Verification and Compliance Mechanism, which monitors the implementation of the agreement.
We also support the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process, a key part of the implementation of the Pretoria Agreement, as backed by the African Union (AU). We will continue to support the AU in its efforts to ensure lasting peace prevails.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the departure of Getachew Reda as interim President of Tigray, what steps they are taking to prevent the fragmentation of governance in Tigray.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Both before and after the departure of Getachew Reda as Tigray's Interim Regional Administration President, and since the appointment of his successor Tadesse Werede, the UK has consistently engaged with the government of Ethiopia, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and the African Union to prevent a return to conflict, support the implementation of the peace agreement, and encourage political dialogue. The UK is urging the parties to reduce the risks of fragmentation by responsibly agreeing a way forward on the key issues, including return of Internally Displaced People and Demobilisation, Disarmament, and Reintegration (DDR). The UK is a leading contributor to the DDR process in Tigray and supports women-led organisations to influence peace and recovery efforts.